What to do if your debit order bounces

How do you know if your 1Life debit order has bounced?
We will notify you via SMS, email and/or a posted letter as soon as the bank notifies us, which is usually the day after the debit order is returned unpaid.

What next?
1. You can call us to arrange for the debit order to be submitted on a different date

OR

2. You can make use of one of the alternative payment options detailed below and, in the SMS, email and letter.

If we don’t hear from you and you don’t pay using one of the payment options below, we will resubmit the debit order towards the end of the month, anytime from 15 to 30 days after your debit order was due.

Alternative payment options

Resubmit the debit order
You can ask us to resubmit the debit order when your bank account has sufficient funds during the month.

Pay your premium at a retail store
In the case of a bounced debit order, we offer the option to pay the unpaid premium at a retail store including PEP, Ackermans, Checkers, Pick n Pay, Builders Warehouse, Makro, Bradlows, Shoprite and Spar.

Pay using an app such as SnapScan or Zapper
We also offer the option to pay using an app on your smartphone such as SnapScan or Zapper. We’ll include details on how to do this in our SMS, email and letter.

Pay with your debit or credit card
Details on how to do this will also be included in the SMS, email and letter.

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Your questions answered

Will I pay extra if my debit order bounces?
1Life does not levy any additional charges for bounced debit orders. However, if you pay your premium using the apps detailed above you will need a few minutes of data to complete the transaction, usually less than 1 minute. Your bank may charge for bounced debit orders.

Is my credit record affected when a debit order bounces?
1Life does not send information about unpaid debit orders to credit bureaus, but your bank might. Too many unpaid debit orders may reflect negatively on your credit record.

What if I have several unpaid debit orders?
We want you and your family to be covered in case of an unexpected event, but if premiums are not paid for three months, your policy will lapse and you won’t be covered.

What should I do if I’ve changed my banking details?
Not all banks notify us of a change in banking details. If your details have changed or you have moved to a new bank, you should inform us of the changes. You can call our client services team on 0860 10 51 94 or change your details on our online policyholder portal.

Take action before a debit order bounces
We know how important your 1Life policy is to you and your family. If you are in difficulty and don’t have enough in your bank account to cover the premium, talk to us about making alternative arrangements, such as debiting at a later date. Debit orders are usually submitted to banks a few days before they are due, so you will need to give us at least three working days’ notice to make alternative arrangements and prevent a debit order from being bounced.

Posted January 14, 2019
Updated December 3, 2021